Feed attachment for addressing machine



Oct. 14, 1958 H. I. NETTLE 2,855,847

FEED ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1956 r 2 Sheets-Sheet l g I 1 i I \0 b N I i a,

N a N [120922203 Hezzfiy I New,

Oct. 14, 1958 Filed June 14, 1956 H. l. NETTLE FEED ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent FEED ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE Henry I. Nettle, Norwood, Mass. Application June 14, 1956, Serial No. 591,320 2 Claims. Cl. 101-336) This invention relates to a feed mechanism for inked ribbons, reference being had particularly to an inked ribbon of the type employed in addressing machines. In

these machines it is customary to advance successive metal printing plates from a stack support to a printing station and finally to a discharge hopper. The inked ribbon is disposed immediately above a plate in the printing station. A stamping arm carrying a platen is normally arranged in a pivoted position above the ribbon so as to be swung downwardly and impress the envelope or other subject matter to be printed against the ribbon and plate.

It is an object of the invention to provide a mechanical feed mechanism for an inked ribbon and to devise a ribbon feeding mechanism which may be actuated with each movement of the stamping arm so that an unused portion of the ribbon can constantly be advanced. An-

other object of the invention is to provide a ribbon winding'and rewinding mechanism which provides for automatically reversing the ribbon when it has been exhausted from one spindle and causing the ribbon to be rewound upon a second spindle. These and other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention.

I have found that the operation of a pivoted stamping arm may be employed to actuate a unique feeding mechanism for an inked ribbon by associating a special pawl assembly with the under sections of the stamping arm. With this pawl assembly I further provide a dual ribbon spindle and ratchet wheel arrangement which can be selectively engaged through the pawl assembly to provide for intermittently winding inked ribbon so that positive advancement of the ribbon may be carried out across the printing station in response to each movement of the stamping arm.

In conjunction with this periodic advancement of the ribbon through a ratchet and pawl assembly, I have further devised a unique automatic reversing motion for the ribbon wind. This reversing motion is based on the novel concept of anchoring two ends of an inked ribbon to respective ribbon spindles and utilizing a force developing out of the pull of the ribbon on an exhausted spindle to actuate apparatus for shifting the positive winding force from the loaded spindle to the exhausted spindle.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one preferred embodiment of ribbon feeding mechanism in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the addressing machine of the invention partly broken away to show the feed mechanism of the invention combined therewith;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail elevational view of a ratchet and pawl mechanism forming a part of the ribbon winding mechanism of the invention; and

2,855,847 Patented Oct. 14, 1958 Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the pawl and pawl supporting means shown in Fig. 4.

Referring more in detail to the structure shown in these figures, numeral 2 denotes a frame which may, for example, be received on pads as 4. This frame includes the conventional parts of an addressing machine consisting of an enclosure 6 in which may be received a stack of metal printing plates, aslide 8 for advancing plates along a track 10 and a pivoted stamping arm 12 which actuates the slide 8. Metal plates are advanced by the slide to a printing station generally denoted by the arrow S at the right hand side of Fig. 2, where a platen 14 on the arm 12 forces an envelope or other subject matter against the plate, in the well-known manner. As the operation is repeated, successive plates are ejected from the back and fall into a hopper, 16. It is customary to further provide an inked ribbon which may be supported on spindles in a position to extend across the printing station above the printing plate and from time to time one of the spindles is turned by hand to present a fresh ribbon portion.

In the present invention, the stamping arm 12 preferably comprises a U-shaped portion as shown in Fig. 1 which is pivotally secured as by pins 18 at opposite sides of the frame. The U-shaped portion is also provided with an extension piece 20 which projects downwardly through the frame and then inwardly as suggested in Fig. 2. This extensionpiece operates both slide 8 and the ribbon feed of the invention. As shown in Fig. 2 a bracket or pawl support 22 is secured at the upper side of the extension piece 20 by fastenings, as 24. The pawl support is formed with a downwardly bent end 22a, more clearly shown in Fig. 5. This end 22a is formed with an elongated opening 227). The opening 22b is adapted to receive thereon a pin or stud 24 which may in turn loosely support thereon a special pawl member 26. From the relative position of the parts described, it Will'be apparent that when the stamping arm is swung about its pivoted ends the extension piece 20 and the attached pawl support will be moved vertically up and down.

In accordance with the invention, I employ this vertical movement to carry out the novel ribbon winding steps of the invention and for this purpose I provide a pair of ribbon spindles 30 and 32 which are rotatably supported in bearing portions, as 34, 36, 38 and 40 of the frame and have an inked ribbon 42 arranged thereon when the pawl is disposed in a slightly tipped position,

such as shown in Fig. 3, the uppermost tip 26a will, dur ing upward movement of the pawl, engage with the ratchet wheel 46 and turn it in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 3, while atthe same time the opposite pawl tip 26b will fail to engage against the ratchet wheel 44. However, when the pawl 26 is tipped in an opposite direction to assume a position such as that shown in Fig. 4, then the tip 26b will engage and drive ratchet wheel 44 while tip 26a fails to engage ratchet 46.

In order to hold the pawl in one or the other of the tipped or engaging positions described, I provide the pawl 26 with a relieved mid portion which defines a tooth or cam 50 having angularly formed sides, one or the other of which is designed to bear against a resilient detent element 52. The detent 52 is solidly fastenedto the under side of the pawl support 22 by a screw 54 which is received through a loop 56 at one end of the detent as best shown in Fig. 5. An unsecured end of this detent is received in a notch 60 formed in the lower edge of the pawl member 22a as suggested in Figs. 3 and 4. Also secured to the pawl support is a fiat spring 62 having bifurcated ends 62a and 62b which are. arranged to bear against the under side of the pawl and resiliently support it in either one of the two positions described.

It will be observed that with the cam element engaged in one position or the other, with the. detent 52, winding of the ribbon in one direction is mechanically achieved with the. operation of the stamping arm, and the ribbon is periodically advanced a slight distance each time. This action continues until the ribbon is exhausted on the unwind spindle where reversing must take place. The detent and cam member described above perform this reversing in the following manner. Both ends of the ribbon are firmly anchored to their respective spindles by means of clips or other suitable means. At the point at which no more ribbon is available on the unwind spindle, a force is exerted which acts through this spindle and its respective ratchet wheel and then through the pawl and cam which reacts on the detent, causing the detent to be sprung outwardly a sufficient distance to allow the cam to snap by it from the position shown in Fig. 3 into the position shown in Fig. 4. This instantly tips the pawl into a position where it starts to engage the exhausted spindle ratchet and a reversal is completed.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have disclosed a simple, efficient ribbon feed and I have combined with this feed mechanism a unique reversing means for changing the direction in which a ribbon is being moved when a spool becomes exhausted.

It is understood that the invention may be changed and modified within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an addressing machine, a frame having a printing station formed therein, printing plate means supported in the frame at the printing station, a pivoted stamping arm arranged to impress subject matter to be printed between itself and the printing plate at the printing station, a pair of ink ribbon spindles rotatably supported in the frame below the printing station in spacedapart relation, and inked ribbon arranged on said spindles for winding and extending across the printing plate means at the printing station, ratchet wheels fixed to said spindles, a pawl support rigidly secured to the under side .4 of the stamping arm in close proximity to the ratchet wheels, apawl member presenting a pair of spaced-apart engaging ends for selectively engaging respective ratchet wheels, said pawl members being loosely pinned on the pawl element in a position such that its ends may be selectively shifted from engagement with one to the other or the ratchet wheels to produce rotative movement of one of the spindles when the stamping arm is actuated, dual spring means for yieldably urging the pawl into either of its positions of engagement with the ratchet wheels whereby the ribbon may be periodically advanced when the cam is actuated, a detent element resiliently fastened to the pawl support for releasably locking the pawl in either of the said positions of engagement, a cam element arranged on the pawl to bear against the detent, said cam when subjected to force exerted by the ribbon on an exhausted spindle and its ratchet wheel being adapted to release the detent and shift the pawl into an alternate position of engagement.

2. In an inked ribbon feed mechanism for a printing machine, a pair of ribbon spindles rotatably supported in the machine in spaced-apart relation, a ribbon arranged on said spindles for winding the two ends of said ribbon, which. ends are secured to respective spindles, a pivoted lever and ratchet wheel mechanism for periodically turning the ribbon spindles, an automatic reversing device for shifting either of the spindles from unwinding movement to winding movement when the ribbon has been completely unwound, said lever and ratchet mechanism including a pair of ratchet wheels fixed on the said spindles, an alternating pawl device loosely pinned on the lever for engaging with either of the ratchet wheels, said automatic reversing device including a spring for selectively holding the pawl in engagement with one of the ratchet wheels, said pawl being formed at its intermediate section with a cam portion and a detent resiliently supported in a position to be engaged by the cam when a force is exerted by the ribbon on an exhausted spindle, thereby to shift the alternating pawl device from engagement with one of the ratchet wheels to engagement with the other of the ratchet wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,876,969 Krell Sept. 13, 1932 1,937,145 Gollwitzer Nov. 28, 1933 2,065,362 Brendel Dec. 22, 1936 2,100,027 Faris Nov. 23, 1937 2,295,748 Moore Sept. 15, 1942 2,619,899 Gollwitzer Dec. 2, 1952 

